1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is directed to an oligomer probe array, and more particularly, to an oligomer probe array with improved Signal-to-Noise Ratio (hereinafter, referred to as “SNR”), and methods of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
An oligomer probe array is a tool that has been widely used in gene expression profiling, genotyping, detection of mutations or polymorphisms such as Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNF), a protein or peptide assay, potential drug screening, development and preparation of novel drugs, etc.
Currently widely available oligomer probe arrays include a plurality of probe cell arrays manufactured by activating predetermined regions of a substrate using light (e.g., UV) irradiation followed by in-situ synthesis of oligomer probes in the photo-activated regions.
However, when repeating a photolithography process for the in-situ synthesis of oligomer probes, mask misalignment may be caused or stray light may arise from diffracted light, thereby leading to activation of some undesired regions of a substrate, and thus, formation of oligomer byproducts in the undesired regions. Such non-specific oligomer formation causes a low SNR in data analysis for hybridization of a target sample with oligomer probes, which renders accurate data analysis difficult.
Further, as oligomer probe array-based analysis is shifted down to the nucleotide (minimal unit of DNA) level from the gene level, the design rule of probe cells is reduced beyond several tens of μm to several μm. Thus, the effect of SNR on accuracy of data analysis is being significantly increased.